Old Visitors, New City

[der meister 3,246]

               Settling into Seattle, specifically Redmond, has been a surprisingly easy transition for defenseman Ryuji Sakamoto. While a good number of his possessions were simply donated to a local Toronto charity prior to the move, he did bring along a number of decorations and mementos, packing the items with more care than I'd have imagined possible for him. I did not pry into what exactly went into the shipping boxes, though I did see a small wall hanging Sakamoto purchased in our time in Istanbul. He never struck me as a particularly sentimental young man, at least as far as material possessions are concerned, but perhaps something about this professional journey brought up a desire to maintain a sense of history.

 

               “Hey man,” he said to me, rather sheepishly a few days ago, “I was thinking that now that we’re in Seattle, we’re like 4 or 5 hours closer to Japan, you know, on a plane. Would you be good with me having a friend or two come hang out for our next set of home games?”

 

               I smiled, genuinely flattered by his asking me. It’s the first time he’s actually asked, though admittedly in the past, specifically in times of personal struggle on or off the ice, I’d suggested he rebalance himself by spending time with friends. “Of course,” I answered, “after all, I’m just a fly on the wall, here to document your career.”

 

               “Nah, man! You’re way more than that. I think we’ve become friends over this time, don’t you?” Sakamoto seemed genuinely concerned that I might not, in fact, consider him a friend.

 

               “Of course,” I repeated, “but this is your journey, not mine. No one reads these articles wondering about the author; they all want to know about the young star, the trials and tribulations of a lightning-fast defenseman from a non-traditional hockey nation, who has adapted to a game he only just discovered in his late teen years. If you want to have any of your friends stay here, whether or not I’ve met them before, that’s your prerogative.”

 

               Sakamoto hesitated for a moment before lifting up his hand for a high five. I obliged, and he left the room, a grin splitting his face as he pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his jeans. I was curious who he was going to invite to make the trek to Seattle, and found myself wondering what their reaction to the new surroundings would be. While I’m certain none of his friends consider me to be anything other than a strange old man who writes about their former classmate, I find their youth and range of personalities endearing.

 

               An hour or so passed before Sakamoto emerges from his bedroom, all smiles. “Hey man, Ren’s gonna be on a flight in a couple of days, I just booked the ticket, and the day after that Ann is coming out. So the three of us are gonna hang out, and I’ll show them around Redmond and Seattle.” I nod in approval, excited to see Sakamoto’s enthusiasm shining through despite the inconsistency of the Seattle Bears. He’s maturing, no longer living and dying on the results of a 42 second shift, and starting to see the big picture.

[Daniel Janser 2,216]

11 hours ago, der meister said:

Seattle, specifically Redmond

Shadowrun reference?